Unique exhibition at Moldovan Parliament

A unique photo exhibition, Flowers on the Prut: 35 years since first Flower Bridge, was inaugurated today at the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to mark a defining moment in the history of relations between the two banks of the Prut.

The event commemorates the first Bridge of Flowers, which took place on May 6, 1990, when thousands of Romanians and Moldovans met symbolically at the border, without passports or controls. The exhibition features 40 documentary photos taken by renowned photographers from the Republic of Moldova and Romania, and the works will also be displayed subsequently at the Romanian Parliament.

Organized by the State News Agency Moldpres in partnership with the National News Agency Agerpres, the exhibition captures the emotion and symbolism-laden moments of that historic day.

Speaker Igor Grosu, present at the event, emphasized the historical significance of the Bridge of Flowers, calling it “an act of courage and solidarity” and “a symbol of the rebirth of national consciousness.” He said “if the generation back then built a bridge of flowers, today's generation has the duty to build stone bridges – durable and real.”

Historians, photographers, officials, and witnesses of the 1990 event attended the opening. Historian Igor Cașu, director of the National Archives Agency, provided a detailed context of the period, evoking the national liberation movements from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, marked by rallies, identity claims, and symbols such as the Romanian tricolor.

Director of the State News Agency Moldpres Vitalie Hadei delivered a speech thanking his colleagues from Agerpres for the collaboration and the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova for hosting the exhibition.


“As Igor Grosu has said, 35 years after the Bridge of Flowers, we recently witnessed the start of works to finally build a stone bridge over the Prut. However, we must not forget the symbolism of the events from the early '90s of the last century when Bessarabians stormed the border imposed on the Prut, eager to cross over, ready to discard the separation from brothers into the trash can of history. I am glad that Moldpres Agency, together with colleagues of Agerpres has managed today, through this exhibition with unique images, to remind us of the Bridge of Flowers 35 years ago, with synchronized events organized in the parliaments of Chișinău and Bucharest,” Vitalie Hadei said.


Present at the inauguration, Deputy General Director of the National News Agency Agerpres Cristian-Dan Durleci-Mateescu highlighted that 35 years later, the Prut is crossed not only by people but also by culture, information and energy – symbols of an increasingly close relationship between the two countries.


“Words are unnecessary because a photograph is worth a thousand words. Probably, by looking at them, we will better understand the desire of the citizens to cross the Prut. The photographs also show us the evolution of things after 35 years,” said Durleci-Mateescu.


Photographer Mihai Potârniche, one of the authors of the displayed images, emphasized that the visual documents “bear witness to the sincere will to reunite brothers separated by the Prut,” even though, at that time, the Republic of Moldova was not an independent state.



The exhibition was admired by MP Oazu Nantoi, who described the exhibits as documents of those times. “In my engineering manner, I regret that the bridge of flowers has not yet been turned into reality. These photographs reveal much romance and liberation from fears. Back then, we began to learn what it means to be citizens of a free country,” Nantoi said.

The exhibition will be open to the public in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, and will also be inaugurated at 4:00 PM at Madrigal Galleries of the Palace of the Parliament in Romania, as part of the joint effort to commemorate and reaffirm the historical and cultural ties between the two states.

PHOTO GALLERY // Inauguration of Moldpres – Agerpres Documentary Photo Exhibition Flowers on the Prut: 35 Years Since First Bridge of Flowers